Environmental groups are threatening to sue the federal government to block plans for commercial oil-shale development on nearly 2 million acres of public land in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.
Twelve groups sent letters Tuesday to the Interior Department and Bureau of Land Management saying they will sue unless the potential impacts on endangered species are addressed. They argue that the final plan and rules approved late last year violated federal law because the agencies didn’t formally consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“They cut Fish and Wildlife Service out of it,” said Melissa Thrailkill, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity in San Francisco.
Documents obtained by the groups under the Freedom of Information Act show that Fish and Wildlife Service biologists were concerned about “information gaps” in the BLM’s environmental analysis. The biologists suggested barring leases in habitat for threatened or sensitive species, the documents show.
Spokesman Matt Spangler said the BLM had no comment on the groups’ claims.
